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THE 

BATTLE  AND  THE  RUINS 

OF  CINTLA 


DANIEL  G.  BRLMTON,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  D.Sc. 


PROFESSOR   OF 


AMERICAN  ARCHAEOLOGY  AND  LINGUISTICS  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


[REHRINTED  FROM  THE  AMERICAN  ANTIQUARIAN.   SEPTEMBER.    1896 1 


CHICAGO 

1896 


THE 

BATTLE  AND  THE  RUINS 

OF  CINTLA 


DANIEL  G.  BRINTON,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  D.Sc. 

PROFESSOR  OF 

AMERICAN  ARCHAEOLOGY  AND  LINGUISTICS  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


[REPRINTED   FROM  THE  AMERICAN  ANTIQUARIAN,  SEPTEMBER,   1896] 


CHICAGO 

18% 


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THE  BATTLE  AND  THE  RUINS  OF  CINTLA. 
By  Daniel  G.  Brinton,  M.  D. 


The  first  battle  on  the  American  continent  in  which  horses 
were  used  was  that  of  Cintla  in  Tabasco,  March,  15 19,  the 
European  troops  being  under  the  leadership  of  Hernando 
Cortes. 

This  fact  attaches  something  more  than  an  ordinary  historic 
interest  to  the  engagement,  at  least  enough  to  make  it  desirable 
to  ascertain  its  precise  locality  and  its  proper  name.  Both  of 
these  are  in  doubt,  as  well  as  the  ethnic  stock  to  which  the 
native  tribe  belonged  which  opposed  the  Spanish  soldiery  on 
the  occasion.  I  propose  to  submit  these  questions  to  a'^re- 
examination,  and  also  to  describe  from  unpublished  material 
the  ruins  which, —  as  I  believe — ,  mark  the  spot  of  this  first  im- 
portant encounter  of  the  two  races  on  American  soil. 

The  engagement  itself  has  been  described  by  all  the  his- 
torians of  Cortes'  famous  conquest  of  Mexico,  as  it  was  the  first 
brilliant  incident  of  that  adventure.  We  have  at  least  four 
accounts  of  it  from  participants.  One  prepared  under  the  eye 
of  Cortes  himself,  one  by  the  anonymous  historian  of  his  expe 
dition,  a  third  by  Cortes'  companion-in-arms,  the  redoubtable 
Bernal  Diaz  del  Castillo,  and  a  fourth  by  Andres  de  Tapia.  ^ 

The  most  satisfactory  narrative,  however,  is  given  by  the 
chaplain  of  Cortes,  Francisco  de  Gomara,  and  I  shall  briefly 
rehearse  his  story,  adding  a  few  points  from  other  contemporary 
writers. " 

Cortes  with  his  armada  cast  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Grijalva  in  March,  15 19.  The  current  being  strong  and  the  bar 
shallow,  he  with  about  eighty  men  proceeded  in  boats  up  the 
river  for  about  two  miles,  when  they  descried  on  the  bank  a 
large  Indian  village.  It  was  surrounded  with  a  wooden  pali- 
sade, having  turrets  and  loopholes  from  which  to  hurl  stones 


1  The  authorities  are  : 

Carta  de  la  Justicia  de  la  Rica  Villa  de  la  Vera  Cruz,  July  lo,  1519.    This  is  sometimes  re- 
ferred to  as  Cortes'  first  letter. 
Bernal  Diaz  del  Castillo.  Historia  de  la  Conquista  de  la  Nueva  Espana. 
Andres  de  Tapia.  kelacion  Sobre  la  Conqttista  de  la  Nueva  Espana. 
Relacton  Anonyma  de  la  Conquista  de  la  Nueva  Espatia. 

2  Francisco  Lopez  de  Gomara,  Conquista  de  Mexico.     I  follow  the  Madrid   edition  of 
1852- 


and  darts.  The  houses  within  were  built  of  tiles  laid  in  mortar, 
or  of  sun-dried  brick  (adobes),  and  were  roofed  with  straw  or 
split  trees.  The  chief  temple  had  spacious  rooms,  and  its  de- 
pendences surrounded  a  court  yard. 

The  interpreter  Aguilar,  a  Spaniard  who  had  lived  with  the 
Mayas  in  Yucatan,  could  readily  speak  the  tongue  of  the  vil- 
lage, which  was  therefore  a  Mayan  dialect.  The  natives  told 
him  that  the  town  was  named  Potonchan,  which  Aguilar  trans- 
lated "  the  place  that  smells  or  stinks,"  an  etymology  probably 
correct  in  a  general  way. 

The  natives  were  distrustful,  and  opposed  the  landing  of 
the  Europeans  rather  with  words  and  gestures  than  with  blows. 
Their  warriors  approached  Cortes  in  large  boats,  called  in  their 
tongue  taJmciip,  and  refused  him  permission  to  land. 

After  some  parleying,  Cortes  withdrew  to  an  island  in  the 
river  near  by,  and  as  night  drew  on,  he  sent  to  the  ships  for  re- 
inforcements, and  despatched  some  of  the  troops  to  look  for  a 
ford  from  the  island  to  the  mainland  ;  which  they  easily  found. 

The  next  morning  he  landed  some  of  his  men  by  the  boats, 
and  attacked  the  village  on  the  water  side,  while  another  de- 
tachment crossed  the  ford  and  making  a  circuit  assaulted  it  in 
the  rear.  The  Indians  were  prepared,  having  sent  their  women 
and  children  away.  They  were  in  number  about  four  hundred, 
and  made  at  first  a  brisk  resistance,  but  being  surprised  by  the 
rear  assault,  soon  fled  in  dismay.  No  Spaniard  was  killed, 
though  many  were  wounded. 

Cortes  established  himself  in  the  village  and  landed  most  of 
his  troops  and  ten  out  of  his  thirteen  horses.  When  his  men 
were  rested  and  the  injured  had  had  their  wounds  dressed  with 
fat  taken  from  dead  Indians^  (!)  he  sent  out  three  detach- 
ments on  foot  to  reconnoitre. 

After  marching  a  distance  which  is  not  stated,  but  which 
could  not  have  been  many  miles,  they  came  to  an  extensive 
plain  covered  with  maize  fields,  temples  and  houses.  This  was 
Cintla.  There  were  many  warriors  gathered  there,  and  after  a 
sharp  skirmish  the  Spaniards  fell  back. 

Having  thus  learned  the  ground,  Cortes  prepared  for  a  decis- 
ive battle,  as  also  did  the  natives.  The  latter  gathered  at 
Cintla  in  five  divisions  of  eight  thousand  men  each,  as  the  chron- 
iclers aver. 

Cortes  had  about  five  hundred  men  including  some  Cuban 
Indians.  The  main  detachment  proceeded  on  foot  by  the  high 
road,  the  cavalry  along  a  path  in  the  woods,  and  another  de- 
tachment by  a  third  route.  The  country  was  swampy  and  cut 
with  canals,  offering  serious  obstacles  to  the  horses.  It  was 
not  until  the  infantry  had  been  for  some  time  closely  engaged 
with  the  enemy  on  the  plain  of  Cintla,  and  rather  severely 
handled,  that  the  cavalry  reached  the  spot.  Their  appearance, 
together  with  the  noise  and  fatal  effect  of  the  musketry,  soon 

I  This  delectable  surgical  item  is  added  by  Captain  Bernal  Diaz. 


5 

struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  natives — their  ranks  broke 
and  they  fled.  Gomara  estimates  that  there  were  about  three 
hundred  of  them  killed,  which  is  likely  enough  ;  while  Bishop 
De  las  Casas  puts  the  slain  at  thirty  thousand  ! ' 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Cintla.  It  broke  the  spirits  of  the 
natives,  and  soon  their  chieftain,  named  Tabasco,  from  whom 
the  river  and  the  province  were  later  called,  came  in,  and  offered 
his  submission.  Cortes  took  possession  of  the  land  in  the  name 
of  the  King  of  Spain,  and  erected  a  large  cross  in  the  chief 
temple  of  Potonchan.  He  remained  there  several  days  longer 
before  proceeding  on  his  voyage. 

TJie  Name  Cintla. — Of  the  contemporary  authorities,  only  two 
give  the  name  of  the  place  at  or  near  which  the  battle  was 
fought. 

One  of  these  is  Bernal  Diaz,  who  writes  it  twice,  spelling  it 
both  times  Cintia. '  The  other  is  Gomara,  who  gives  Cintla,  the 
form  which  I  believe  to  be  correct.  Through  following  some 
less  reliable  authorities  a  number  of  writers,  among  them  Pres- 
cott  and  his  editor  Mr.  J.  F.  Kirk,  Orozco  y  Berra,  etc.,  and 
their  copyists,  have  deformed  this  word  into  Cetitla. 

The  most  obvious  derivation  of  Cintla  is  from  the  NahuatI 
language,  in  which  Cintla  means  a  dried  ear  of  maize  ;  Cintlan^ 
a  place  where  dried  ears  are,  a  cornfield-  Most  of  the  places  oT&tul^ 
in  Tabasco  became  known  to  the  Spaniards  under  their  NahuatI 
appellatives  through  interpreters  in  that  tongue,  and  because 
most  of  the  territory  had  been  subjected  to  the  powerful  sway 
of  the  Montezumas. 

Still,  Cintla  may  also  be  a  Mayan  word.  It  may  be  a  nominal 
form  from  the  verb  tzen-tah,  and  would  then  have  the  significa- 
tion, ''a  built-up  place,"  or  one  well  stocked  with  provisions; 
or,  it  may  be  a  patronymic  from  the  Tzentals,  the  tribe  which 
occupied  this  region  at  the  time,  as  I  shall  proceed  to  show. 

The  Native  Tribe. — There  is  no  question  -b^t  that  the  native 
tribe  which  took  part  in  this  combat  belonged  to  the  Mayan 
stock.  All  the  accounts  agree  that  Aguilar,  the  Spaniard  whom 
Cortes  found  in  Yucatan  as  a  captive,  and  who  had  learned  to- 
speak  the  Mayan  tongue,  communicated  with  the  natives  with- 
out dif^culty.     This  is  conclusive  as  to  their  ethnic  position. 

Further  evidence,  if  needed,  is  offered  by  the  native  names 
and  words  preserved  in  the  accounts.  The  term  for  their  large 
canoes,  tahuciip,  is  from  the  Maya  talial,  to  swim,  and  kop^  that 
which  is  hollow,  or  hollowed  out.  The  name  potonchan,  Aguilar 
translated  as,  "  the  place  that  stinks"  (lugar  que  hiede).  He 
evidently  understood  it  as  derived  from  the  Maya  verb  tunhal^ 
to  stink,  with  the  intensive  prefix/^/  (which  is  not  unusual  in 
the  tongue,  as  pot-hokan,  very  evident,  etc.).  The  historian 
Herrera,  on  some  authority  not  known  to  me,  further  explains 

1  Historia  de  las  Indias.     Lib.  XIV. 

2  I  have  consulted  both  the  original  edition  (1632)  and  the  Madrid  reprint  of  1852.  It  is- 
thus  spelled  in  both,  though  Dr.  Jourdanet,  in  his  excellent  French  translation  (Paris,  i877> 
gives  Cintla. 


this  term  as  one  of  contempt  applied  to  the  people  there, 
meaning  rude  and  barbarous  ; '  as  we  should  say,  using  the  same 
metaphor,  "stinkards." 

Tabasco  is  said  by  Bernal  Diaz  to  have  been  the  name  of  the 
principal  chief  of  the  eight  provinces  or  tribes,  who  together 
opposed  the  Spaniards.  For  this  reason  I  would  reject  the 
derivation  from  the  Nahuatl,  proposed  by  Rovirosa, —  tlalli, 
earth,  paltic,  wet  or  swampy,  co,  in,"  —  however  appropriate  it 
would  be  geographically  ;  and  also  that  from  the  Maya,  tazcoob, 
"  deceived,"  referring  to  the  deceptions  practiced  on  the 
Spaniards, —  which  is  defended  by  Orozco  y  Berra^  ;  and  I 
should  accept  that  which  I  find  suggested  by  Dr.  Berendt  in  his 
manuscript  work  on  Mayan  geographical  names.  He  reads 
Tabasco  as  a  slightly  corrupt  form  of  the  Maya  T ah-naxac-coh, 
"  our  (or  the)  master  of  the  eight  lions,"  referring  to  the  eight 
districts  or  gentes  of  the  tribe.  This  is  significant  and  appro- 
priate, the  jaguar,  the  American  lion,  being  a  very  common 
emblem  in  the  ruins  of  Cintla. 

The  branch  of  the  Mayan  stock  which  occupied  the  litoral  of 
the  province  of  Tabasco  at  that  time  were  those  later  known  as 
the  Tzentals  (otherwise  spelled  Zendal  or  Tzeltal).  By  some 
writers  they  have  been  called  the  Chontals  of  Tobasco,  chontal^ 
as  is  well  known,  being  merely  a  common  noun  in  Nahuatl  to 
express  foreigners  or  barbarians.  Their  identity  with  the 
modern  Tzentals  of  Chiapas  has  been  established  by  the  re- 
searches of  Dr.  Berendt. 

The  Tzental  is  a  dialect  closely  akin  to  pure  Maya,  though 
it  was  believed  by  Dr.  Berendt  to  present  nearer  relations  than 
the  Maya  proper  to  the  dialect  of  the  Huastecas,  a  segregated 
idiom  of  the  Mayan  family,  spoken  near  Tampico. 

The  Locality. — Until  M.  Desire  Charnay  brought  out  the  re- 
sults of  the  Lorillard  expedition  in  his  handsome  work,  "The 
Ancient  Cities  of  the  New  World,"  *  no  one,  so  far  as  I  know, 
had  expressed  any  doubt  that  Cintla  was  situated  near  the 
mouth  of  the  great  river,  the  Rio  de  Tabasco,  formed  by  the 
confluence  of  the  Usumacinta  and  the  Rio  de  Grijalva,  and 
emptying  into  the  bay  of  Campeche,  i8°  35',  north  latitude. 

M.  Charnay  did  not  visit  the  ruins  of  Cintla  nor  the  site  of 
Potonchan,  which  I  am  about  to  describe  ;  but  he  did  make  an 
examination  of  the  ruins  of  Comalcalco,  about  thirty  miles  west 
of  Cintla  ;  and  as  they  are  of  notable  magnitude,  he  proceeds 
to  argue  that  they  represent  the  ancient  Cintla,  of  the  victory 
of  Cortes. 

The  arguments  on  which  he  founds  this  contention  may  be 
briefly  stated.  They  are  that  the  accounts  refer  to  two 
entrances  to  the  river  (^dos  bocas)  while  the  Tabasco  has  but  one  ; 

1  Herrera,  Historia  de  las  Indias  Occidentales.    Dec.  Ill,  lib.  vii,  cap.  iii. 

2  Jose  N.  Rovirosa,  Nombres  Geographicos  de  Tabasco,  (Mexico,  1888). 

3  Orozco  y  Berra,  Historia  Antigua  de  Mexico,  Tom.  XIV,  Lib.  1,  cap.  V. 

4  1  use  the  French  edition,  Les  Anciennes  Villes  du  Nouveau  Monde,  pp.  159,  160 
(Paris,  i88s). 


that  the  bar  of  Tabasco  now  admits  vessels  of  300  tons,  whereas 
Cortes  speaks  of  it  as  too  shallow  for  his  caravels  ;  that  Herrera 
says  Cortes  retired  to  a  small  island,  whereas  there  is  none  in 
the  Rio  de  Tabasco  ;  that  Herrera  further  speaks  of  a  ford  by 
which  the  soldiers  of  Cortes  "crossed  the  river,"  which  would 
have  been  impossible  in  the  Tabasco  ;  and  finally  that  the 
same  writer  mentions  cacao  plantations,  though  at  present  none 
exist  near  Frontera.  For  these  reasons  he  thinks  both  Grijalva 
and  Cortes  entered  the  embouchure  now  known  as  the  Barra 
de  Dos  Bocas,  some  twenty-five  miles  west  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  de  Tabasco. 

A  slight  examination  dissipates  these  objections.  Both  Gri- 
jalva and  Cortes  note  the  powerful  current  of  the  Rio  de  Tab- 
asco, carrying  fresh  water  six  miles  out  to  sea,  as  is  observed 
to-day,'  and  this  is  not  in  the  least  applicable  to  the  insignifi- 
cant stream  flowing  out  of  the  Dos  Bocas.  M.  Charnay  was 
misinformed  when  he  stated  there  is  no  island  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Rio  de  Tabasco.  There  are  in  fact  two,  one,  long  and  nar- 
row, known  as  the  Isla  de  Grijalva,  the  other  quite  small,  close 
to  the  plantation  of  Dolores  (see  the  map).  The  latter  was 
probably  that  to  which  Cortes  retired.  None  of  the  accounts 
say  that  the  soldiers  "  forded  the  river,"  but  only  the  short  dis- 
tance between  the  island  and  the  mainland.  These  islands 
give  to  the  entrance  of  the  river  the  appearance  of  two  ehi- 
bouchures  or  mouths.  The  depth  of  the  bar  varies  of  course 
with  the  seasons  and  with  the  tides. 

But  what  is  conclusive  is  that  in  1525  the  Spaniards  founded 
the  city  Nuestra  Sefiora  de  la  Victoria,  on  the  site  of  Poton- 
chan.  In  1646,  it  had  a  cura  and  a  vicar,  and  counted  2000 
parishioners,  and  the  abundance  of  its  cacao  harvest  is  espe- 
cially noted.*  At  some  later  day  it  was  attacked  and  destroyed 
by  filibusters  ;  but  the  remains  of  the  churelT  and  the  cemetery 
are  still  visible  at  Dolores,  and  pilgrimages  are  yet  made  to 
them  on  certain  holy  days  by  the  faithful  of  the  parish  of  Fron- 
tera, on  the  opposite  shore.  This  record  places  the  scene  of 
the  conflict  beyond  all  doubt. 

Condition  of  the  Natives. —  The  various  accounts  agree  in  de- 
scribing the  province  as  highly  cultivated  and  thickly  settled. 
Maize  and  cacao  were  the  principal  crops.  Temples  and  edi- 
fices are  repeatedly  referred  to.  A  few  years  afterwards  (1524) 
Cortes  traversed  Tabasco  some  miles  inland,  and  has  left  a  de- 
scription of  its  industries.  The  people  were  active  merchants, 
and  the  list  of  their  commodities  which  he  gives  includes  cacao, 
maize,  cotton,  dye-stuffs,  feathers,  salt,  wax,  resins,  paints,  gum 
copal,  pottery,  beads,  shells,  precious  stones,  woven  stuffs  and 
gold  of  low  alloy.  The  richer  citizens  had  numerous  wives  and 
female  slaves,  which  accounted  for  the  rapid  increase  in  popu- 

1  Requena  says  tha  current  from  the  river  is  visible  "  from  ten  to  twelve  leagues  from  the 
shore  in  every  season  and  in  high  water  much  further."  Pedro  Requena,  informe  sobre 
Tabasco,  p.  52  (S.  Juan  Bantista,  1S47,  Imprenta  del  Gobierno). 

2  These  facts  are  given  in  the  Memoria  of  Diaz  de  la  Calle,  printed  at  Madrid,  1646,  ex- 
tracts from  which  1  hnd  in  Dr.  Berendt's  manuscripts. 


lation.'  The  chronicler  Gomara  furnished  a  long  list  of  the 
native  articles  which  Grijalva  brought  back  in  15 19  from  Poton- 
chan  and  the  neighboring  coast.  They  reveal  a  high  degree  of 
artistic  culture,  and  leave  no  doubt  but  that  the  tribes  of  the 
vicinity  were  as  developed  in  the  arts  as  any  in  America. 

Ruined  Cities. — Writing  about  1875,  M^-  ^'  ^-  Bancroft  says  : 
*'On  the  immediate  coast  (of  Tabasco)  some  large  towns  and 
temples  were  seen  by  the  early  voyagers  ;  but  I  have  no  infor- 
mation that  relics  of  any  kind  have  been  discovered  in  modern 
times."  ^ 

In  fact,  although  it  is  doubtful  if  there  are  any  ruins  directly 
on  the  coast,  there  are  many  but  a  short  distance  inland. 
Those  at  Comalcacalco  have  been  figured  and  described  by  M. 
Charnay,  and  his  work  is  so  well  known  that  a  reference  to  it 
is  sufficient. 

At  the  locality  called  Pedrito,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Tabasco,  there  are  many  mounds,  embankments, 
piles  of  pottery  and  other  signs  of  an  ancient  town.  Among 
the  relics  is  a  large  circular  stone,  "like  a  round  table,"  with 
figures  in  relief  engraved  on  its  sides,  and  with  holes  drilled  in 
its  surface,  in  which  pegs  or  wooden  nails  are  said  to  have  been 
fitted.^  About  ten  miles  north  of  this  spot  is  another  group  of 
mounds  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rio  de  San  Pablo  y  San  Pedro. 
Doubtless  many  others  exist  unknown  in  the  dense  forests. 

TJie  Ruins  of  Cintla. — The  ruins  of  Cintla  were  visited  and 
surveyed  by  the  late  Dr.  C.  H.  Berendt  in  March  and  April, 
1869,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  neither  before  nor  since  have  they 
been  seen  by  any  archaeologist.  Nor  can  I  learn  that  Dr. 
Berendt  ever  published  the  results  of  his  researches.  The  only 
reference  I  can  find  to  them  in  any  of  his  published  writings  is 
in  a  paper  which  he  read,  July  loth,  1876,  before  the  American 
Geographical  Society,  and  which  was  published  in  its  Bulletin, 
No.  2,  for  that  year.  The  title  of  this  address  was,  "  Remarks 
on  the  Centers  of  Ancient  Civilization  in  Central  America  and 
their  Geographical  Distribution."  He  certainly  prepared  a 
much  more  extended  paper  especially  on  Cintla,  with  illustra- 
tions and  maps,  fragments  of  which  I  have  found  among  the 
documents  left  at  his  death  ;  but  if  published,  I  have  been  un- 
able to  trace  it.  Nor  can  I  discover  what  became  of  the 
considerable  archaeological  collection  which  he  made  at  Cintla 
and  brought  away  with  him,  a  memorandum  about  which  is 
among  his  papers. 

The  passage  in  his  address  before  the  Geographical  Society 
touching  on  Cintla  is  as  follows  : 

"It  was  by  mere  chance  that  in  the  year  1869  I  discovered 
the  site  of  ancient  Cintla,  buried  in  the  thick  and  fever-haunted 
forests  of  the  marshy  coast,  and  unknown  until  then  to  the 
Indians  themselves.     In  the  course  of  the  excavations  which  I 

I  Cortes' description  is  given  in  his  "  fourth  letter."  His  route  is  extremely  difficult  to 
locate  accurately. 

2  The  Native  Races  of  the  Pacific  States,  Vol.  IV,  p.  287. 

3  MSS,  Notes  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Berendt. 


caused  to  be  made,  antiquities  of   a  curious  and    interesting 
character  were  laid  bare. 

"  Prominent  among  these  ruins,  and  presenting  a  peculiar 
feature  of  workmanship,  are  the  so-called  teocallis,  or  mounds, 
which  here  are  built  of  earth,  and  covered  at  the  top  and  on  the 
sides  with  a  thick  layer  of  mortar  in  imitation  of  stone  work. 
On  one  of  these  mounds  I  found  not  only  the  sides  and  the 
platform,  but  even  two  flights  of  stairs,  constructed  of  the  same 
apparently  fragile  but  yet  enduring  material.  One  of  the  latter 
was  perfectly  well  preserved.  I  likewise  saw  clay  figures  of 
animals  covered  with  a  similar  coating  of  mortar  or  plaster, 
thus  imitating  sculptured  stone  and  retaining  traces  of  having 
been  painted  in  various  colors. 


"^ay  df  Gampeche. 


Torderit 


Fig-.  I. — Map  of  the  Ruins  of  Cintla. 


"The  reason  for  this  singular  use  of  cement  probably  is  that 
in  the  alluvial  soil  of  this  coast,  no  stones  occur  within  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty  miles  and  more  from  the  sea  shore  ;  stone  imple- 
ments, such  as  axes,  chisels,  grinding  stones,  obsidian  flakes, 
etc.,  which  are  occasionally  found,  can  have  been  introduced 
solely  by  trade.  The  pottery  and  the  idols  made  of  terracotta 
show  a  high  degree  of  perfection. 

"  Regarding  the  period  down  to  which  such  earthenware  was 
made,  a  broken  vase  disinterred  from  one  of  the  mounds  in  my 
presence  may  give  a  clue.  Its  two  handles  represent  Spaniards, 
with  their  European  features,  beard,  Catalonian  cap,  dindpolainas, 
or  gaiters." 

There  is  also  among  his  papers   the  commencement  of  an 


16 


address  or  essay  upon  these  ruins,  written  in  Spanish,  and  this, 
when  completed,  may  have  been  printed  in  some  Mexican  peri- 
odical. I  translate  from  it  the  following  passage,  the  remainder 
having  been  lost : 

"  Having  learned  that  in  the  forests  of  the  coast  between  the 
hurras  of  Chiltepec  and  Grijalva  various  mounds,  idols  and 
other  remains  of  an  earlier  population  had  been  discovered,  I 
proceeded  to  that  part  of  the  country  called  Del  Cajeie,  and 
devoted  six  weeks  to  its  exploration.  I  soon  found  numerous 
mounds  and  embankments  from  which  the  present  inhabitants 
had  gathered  fragments  of  idols  and  milling  stones  of  a  form 
unknown  now  in  the  vicinity. 

"  It  very  soon  became  apparent  that  these  mounds  were  not 
such  as  those  isolated  ones  which  are  found  in  various  parts  of 
this  country,  but  were  arranged  in  groups  surrounding  open 
spaces,  plazas,  and  forming  streets,  extending  over  an  area  three 
leagues  in  length  by  one  in  breadth. 


Fig.  2. —  The  Great   Temple.  Fig.  3. — Cross  Section  of  Fig.  2,  B. 

"  Not  a  gingle  tradition,  not  a  single  native  name  survives  to 
cast  any  light  upon  these  ruins.  The  whole  of  this  coast  was 
depopulated  m  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  owing 
to  the  slave-hunting  incursions  of  the  filibusters  and  man- 
hunters.  The  Indians  who  are  now  found  in  the  neighborhood 
have  removed  there  from  the  interior  since  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century,  and  are  absolutely  ignorant  of  the  origin 
or  builders  of  this  city,  hidden  in  the  tropical  forest." 

The  locality  referred  to  as  Del  Cajete  was   a  settlement  (ran- 
cheria)  of  Indians,  now  better  known  as  San  Jose  de  la  Bellota, 
on   a  large  pond  into  which  drains  the  Rio  de  la  Bellota.     It 
was  founded  in    1815   by  a  cura  who  brought  the  Indians  there  ,. 
from  the  other  side  of  the  river,  back  of  Frontera.  C^^XtTli 

The  general  position  of  the  ruins  will  be  seen  from  the  above 
map.  It  is  drawn  to  the  scale  of  the  Mexican  league,  which 
contains  5000  yards  (varas)  each  83S  mm.  One  league  is  there- 
fore approximately  two  and  three  quarters  of  our  miles.  No 
ruins  or  mounds  were  located  immediately  on  or  near  the  coast. 

Almost  a  continuous  line  of  mounds,  embankments  and 
heaps  of  debris  extends  from  near  Bellota  for  about  nine  miles 
in  a  general  west-south-west  direction  over  a  plain  which  is  now 
densely  covered  by  a  tropical  forest. 

Dr.  Berendt  did  not  attempt  to  survey  but  a  few  of  these 
numerous  monuments.  The  plan  of  one  of  the  largest,  called 
by  the  natives  El  Cuyo  Grande^  "The  Great  Temple,"  is  shown 
in  the  following,  figure  2. 


The  principal  mound  13  is  terraced  about  half  way  up  and 
was  82  feet  in  height.  A  cross  section  of  it  is  shown  in  I'^ig.  3, 
A-B. 

A  series  of  constructions  is  connected  with  this,  the  whole 
running  in  a  direction  east-north-east  to  west-south-west. 
They  consist  of  a  rectangular  embankment  six  to  eight  feet 
high,  Fig.  2,  A  ;  an  isolated  circular  mound,  D  ;  and  two  small 
mounds  at  the  eastern  corilers  of  the  great  mound,  from  which 
parallel  embankments,  E,  extend  easterly,  inclosing  an  open 
space,  which  at  the  extremity  is  terminated  by  a  long  low 
mound,  C.     The  total  distance  from  A  to  C  is  1140  feet. 

The  great  mound  and  most  of  the  others  in  the  vicinity  are 
faced  with  mortar  made  of  sand  and  lime  from  burnt  oyster 
shells.  On  one  or  both  sides  are  flights  of  steps  which  lead  up 
to  the  summit.  These  are  constructed  of  layers  of  mortar, 
tiles  and  hard-pounded  earth,  distributed  in  the  manner  repre- 
sented in  Fig.  4. 


^ 


^ — rtJTrlar 

■e<^r 

-eariA 


Fig.  4.  —  Construction  of  Stairways. 


Fig. 5. — Los  Ciiyos  de  la  Canada. 


The  earth  is  either  black  or  red,  and  is  mixed  with  sand  from 
the  coast  to  give  it  consistency.  The  tiles  or  bricks  are  rec- 
tangular in  shape,  well  made  and  regular  in  outline,  and  laid 
one  against  another  as  in  a  pavement. 

Another  group  is  called  Los  Cuyos  de  la  Canada,  Fig.  5.  It 
consists  of  two  mounds  on  a  low  platform,  adjoining  each 
other.  The  larger,  a,  is  twenty  feet  in  height,  the  lower,  b, 
about  fifteen  feet.  Their  sides  are  oriented  exactly  to  the  true 
north.  A  section  is  shown  in  Fig.  5,  g.  Two  small  oblong 
mounds,  c  and  d,  about  six  feet  high,  and  a  square  altar-like 
heap,  /  appear  to  be  in  relation  to  the  group.  Numerous 
pieces  of  mortar  and  terra  cotta  occur  in  the  vicinity,  and  1500 
feet  directly  west  there  is  a  large  mound  of  moderate  height. 

Almost  anywhere  in  the  area  of  this  ancient  city,  the  soil 
abounds  in  fragments  of  mortar,  pottery  and  images  of  earthen- 
ware. Very  frequently  the  latter  are  represented  seated  on  a 
bell-shaped  support,  apparently  that  they  might  be  stij.ad  _up 
upon  a  flat  surface.  Two  of  these  are  shown  from  Dr.  Berendt's 
drawings  in  Figs.  6  and  7.  The  handles  of  utensils  were  often 
decorated  in  fantastic  forms  as  that  shown  in  Fig.  8. 


12 


Fi^.  b— Image  ivitli 
Bell-shaped  Bot- 
tom and  Handle. 


Ftg.  7. — Image   of  a 
Warrior  on  Bell- 
shaped  Sitpport. 


Fis. 


.  S. —  Decorated 
Handle  of 
Utensil. 


An  abundance  of  nictates,  or  corn-stones,  of  a  shape  not  now 
usual  in  the  neighborhood  were  exhibited.  Some  of  these  were 
quite  graceful,  having  several  feet  and  highly  ornamented. 
The  vases  of  pottery  were  occasionally  noteworthy  for  their 
symmetry  and  beauty,  as  that  shown  in  Fig.  9. 


Fig.  Q.—Jar  of  Pottery. 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairways  to  the  summit  of  the  mounds  on 
each  side  were  frequently  the  remains  of  tigers'  heads,  well 
moulded  in  burnt  clay. 

Here  and  there  the  remains  of  wells  were  discovered,  or  of 
excavations  which  apparently  were  intended  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  water. 

Dr.  Berendt  mentions  several  tombs,  but  unfortunately  does 
not  specify  their  location  or  construction.  He  states  that  they 
usually  contained  several  bodies,  in  a  sitting  posture,  placed 
side  by  side  with  their  arms  and  ornaments. 

No  trace  of  metal  whatever  was  discovered,  neither  copper 
nor  gold,  which  is  rather  unexpected,  as  the  natives  in  the  time 
of  Grijalva  were  acquainted  with  both  these  substances. 

Such  is  the  brief  account  I  am  able  to  give  of  these  extensive 
and  interesting  ruins  from  the  fragmentary  papers  of  their  ex- 
plorer. If  any  reader  of  these  notes  can  inform  this  journal 
of  the  disposition  Dr.  Berendt  made  of  his  collection  and  the 
full  memoranda  of  his  surveys  and  excavations,  the  cause  of 
American  archaeology  will  be  further  benefited. 

Media,  Penna. 


UL:_.ui.Jitii  I-;;,  lui.i'/.,-.  i,i;i-;,-n^  ialiliW 


AA      000  242  478    6 


V. 


